5 ms·

Makes one wish that the Web had a decent micropayment system instead of the pain that is PayPal.

by tav 16y ago

DeusExMachina 16y ago
Wasn't Google creating one? When is it supposed to be released?
- smackfu 16y ago
  Both Google and PayPal charge a $0.30 base fee in addition to the percentage of the total, which is pretty meaningless for most transactions except it stops micropayments. Given that, Apple is taking 30% off the top of everything they sell through the app store, so maybe the acceptable answer for micropayments is to charge far more in fees but make them entirely percentage based.
  - uptown 16y ago
    The transaction-fee kills micro-payments. The percentage-fee kills large payments. It basically leaves a sweet-spot between the two where the cost of doing business is tolerable to both parties.
modernerd 16y ago
Will be interesting to see if PayPal's proposed micropayment system[1] gains traction. With a streamlined purchase approach combined with big partner involvement (Facebook et al), there's a possibility of a shift in attitude towards in-browser payment for microcontent. [1] http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/26/paypal-unveils-micropayments-for-digital-goods-facebook-signs-up/ http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/26/paypal-unveils-micropayment...
rmc 16y ago
Google Adsense?
- mdaniel 16y ago
  > Google Adsense? I recognize that you're being downvoted for not actually contributing to the conversation, but I'm going to use your comment as a springboard to make a point that's been bothering me. I have serious doubts about the mobile ad space for the following three reasons. First, what kind of user experience is it to "click" on an ad on your mobile device? I go out of my way not to read actual webpages on the 4" screen, and thus I am certainly not going to try and conduct a learning exercise about your product nor am I going to suffer through typing my payment details to buy something. Second, and I think I recall reading somewhere that an ad platform seeks to change this [maybe they all do!], but chances are that I'm currently using my mobile device for something. Unlike the magic Ctrl-click to open an ad in a new tab, if I were to have a sudden urge to click on an ad, that is going to interrupt whatever it is that I am trying to accomplish right now. Strong disincentive to do anything of the sort. Finally, it has been overwhelmingly my experience that an app which uses an ad network is going to have lag and is going to incur pauses while I am trying to do something on my mobile. Maybe on wifi it's less of a big deal, but the times that I use my mobile on wifi are minimal, otherwise it would be a netbook. I agree with in-app purchases as one of the money-making vehicles for the mobile market. I believe, also, in trial versions and outright purchasing apps based on good reviews. But seriously: can we please skip past trying to replicate the success of the ad networks from the web?
  - glhaynes 16y ago
    Apple's iAd system seeks to mitigate some of these things. The ad content is downloaded separately by the device so there's no network loading time, and hitting the home button takes you back to the exact same place in the app you had been in rather than back to the home screen like every other instance of hitting the home button (much to the consternation of some who highly value consistency). And, they only have ads that are highly interactive and "interesting", going so far as to do the production themselves on all of them to date, afaik. So at least if you see an ad for something you're interested in and it says "iAd" on the side, you'll know that by tapping on it you'll be getting something that's made for a small screen and probably has some decent content, not just a bigger version of the ad. I certainly agree with you, though: I don't tend to click ads on my computer, I certainly am not going to tap them on my phone. But, I suppose somebody does click them on the web so... maybe those same folks tap them on their phones?
zach 16y ago
The Facebook Credits team has the same dream you do. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/technology/23facebook.html http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/technology/23facebook.html
- phlux 16y ago
  yeah - but I will never want all my payments requiring that I have/be logged into facebook.

Makes one wish that the Web had a decent micropayment system instead of the pain that is PayPal.

by tav 16y ago

Makes one wish that the Web had a decent micropayment system instead of the pain that is PayPal.

DeusExMachina 16y ago

Wasn't Google creating one? When is it supposed to be released?

smackfu 16y ago
Both Google and PayPal charge a $0.30 base fee in addition to the percentage of the total, which is pretty meaningless for most transactions except it stops micropayments. Given that, Apple is taking 30% off the top of everything they sell through the app store, so maybe the acceptable answer for micropayments is to charge far more in fees but make them entirely percentage based.
- uptown 16y ago
  The transaction-fee kills micro-payments. The percentage-fee kills large payments. It basically leaves a sweet-spot between the two where the cost of doing business is tolerable to both parties.

modernerd 16y ago

Will be interesting to see if PayPal's proposed micropayment system[1] gains traction. With a streamlined purchase approach combined with big partner involvement (Facebook et al), there's a possibility of a shift in attitude towards in-browser payment for microcontent. [1] http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/26/paypal-unveils-micropayments-for-digital-goods-facebook-signs-up/ http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/26/paypal-unveils-micropayment...

rmc 16y ago

Google Adsense?

mdaniel 16y ago
> Google Adsense? I recognize that you're being downvoted for not actually contributing to the conversation, but I'm going to use your comment as a springboard to make a point that's been bothering me. I have serious doubts about the mobile ad space for the following three reasons. First, what kind of user experience is it to "click" on an ad on your mobile device? I go out of my way not to read actual webpages on the 4" screen, and thus I am certainly not going to try and conduct a learning exercise about your product nor am I going to suffer through typing my payment details to buy something. Second, and I think I recall reading somewhere that an ad platform seeks to change this [maybe they all do!], but chances are that I'm currently using my mobile device for something. Unlike the magic Ctrl-click to open an ad in a new tab, if I were to have a sudden urge to click on an ad, that is going to interrupt whatever it is that I am trying to accomplish right now. Strong disincentive to do anything of the sort. Finally, it has been overwhelmingly my experience that an app which uses an ad network is going to have lag and is going to incur pauses while I am trying to do something on my mobile. Maybe on wifi it's less of a big deal, but the times that I use my mobile on wifi are minimal, otherwise it would be a netbook. I agree with in-app purchases as one of the money-making vehicles for the mobile market. I believe, also, in trial versions and outright purchasing apps based on good reviews. But seriously: can we please skip past trying to replicate the success of the ad networks from the web?
- glhaynes 16y ago
  Apple's iAd system seeks to mitigate some of these things. The ad content is downloaded separately by the device so there's no network loading time, and hitting the home button takes you back to the exact same place in the app you had been in rather than back to the home screen like every other instance of hitting the home button (much to the consternation of some who highly value consistency). And, they only have ads that are highly interactive and "interesting", going so far as to do the production themselves on all of them to date, afaik. So at least if you see an ad for something you're interested in and it says "iAd" on the side, you'll know that by tapping on it you'll be getting something that's made for a small screen and probably has some decent content, not just a bigger version of the ad. I certainly agree with you, though: I don't tend to click ads on my computer, I certainly am not going to tap them on my phone. But, I suppose somebody does click them on the web so... maybe those same folks tap them on their phones?

zach 16y ago

The Facebook Credits team has the same dream you do. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/technology/23facebook.html http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/technology/23facebook.html

phlux 16y ago
yeah - but I will never want all my payments requiring that I have/be logged into facebook.